There seems to be a lot of small minded and limited thinking here.
While I can to some extent understand why everyone on here suddenly thinks this product is destined for use on the front of an iPad or iPhone, the fact is that this is a suggested possible use, and not exclusive use. So perhaps some people need to pull their head out of their butts a bit, and drop the 'finger-print proof would be more useful' crap. Not everything in the world is designed to make you life directly better, and to resolve your first world problems.
This IS a significant product. Touch screens - including iPads in use in Apple stores, are a major infection risk. TB and MRSA have been shown to be transmissible in these public environments.
The vast majority of infectious diseases is spread by people's hands. Ever worked in a hospital? The infection control unit will actually audit every area to ensure that people are washing their hands when they should be - which is roughly 200 to 300 times more a day than most people currently do.
In an oncology ward VRE can be easily spread by just sharing one device between two patients. Considering the increasing use in technology in these hospital environments, the touch screen is becoming a high risk area for infection spread.
So while I'm sure many of you cry yourself to sleep every night because your phone screen gets smudgy with fingerprints, personally I'd welcome any development in bacterial control any day in my line of work - which is nursing.
In regards to the soap issue that has been brought up. Yes, in that instance there is a limited reason for the anti-bacterial compound to be in soap. In fact, just washing your hands properly with proper soap is enough. But there is no parallel with that industry and what is happening here. This sort of development has real world application and demand.
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Totally not necessary. This whole germ and bacteria is totally blown out of proportion. If we remove all harmful germs and bacteria from our daily lives, we are going to get sick easier because our immune system is less active. Just recently, studies showed that washing your hands 20 times a day is not helpful in any way. The cleaner we live, the more allergy and flu instances we will have because our bodies don't react to harmful things on a regular basis.
This is absolute rubbish. There is no. And I mean NO .. peer reviewed research that backs up anything that you have said here.
Let me point you to the CDC article on washing your hands -
http://www.cdc.gov/features/handwashing/
As someone else pointed out before, we are at a point in time where 'superbugs', or antibiotic resistant bacteria, is becoming a serious problem. Let me be clear... you don't develop immunity to these things by just simple exposure. Furthermore, you also put immunocompromised people at risk.
Every year thousands of vulnerable people are killed by VRE and MRSA which is transmitted by contact - i.e. people that haven't washed their hands properly. And just for reference, at some stage in your life you are likely to be included in this 'vulnerable' category.